New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-01
THEFT IN THE POST OFFICE.
MONEY STOLEN AND SOON RECOVERED.
TRYING TO STEAL REGISTERED PACKAGE con-
TANNING $10,00O-wILLIAM A. CLARK, THE
THIEF, CONFEssEs-OTHER OFFENCES

THIEF, CoNFEssEs-OTHER OFFENCES
COMMITTED BY HIM.
daring attempt at robbery, which came uu
comfortably near success, was perpetrated on
Tuesday night in the registry department Of the
post office. The result of the crime has been great
inconvenience for Q score of innocent persons end
the rroabble detection Of the thief. The authori-
ties in the Federal building were not communica>
tive yesterday about the details of the theft, but
the main facts are as follows;
just before the night tour of service in the
registry department on Tuesday night, which con-
sists of twenty-five men, quit work and prepared
to 80 to their homes, commotlon was ca,ise6
among the men by tho appearance Of Ins. re,os
DOsser and several assistants, and TIE anrot t,s-
mcnt that no one would be allowed to leave hia
place until further orders. The amazemcnt OF the
employees was heightened when the doors werd
locked, and while some OF the Secret Service men
saw that nobody-guity or innocent-escaped.
others headed by Mr.. Dosser began to search the
premises. Every nook and corner and cievicc was
crutinized. In the meantime the imprisoned men
learned the cause Of their detention. registered
package containing $4,000 sent from the FiisS
National Bank of Portland, Ore, to the Chemical
National Bank in this city, was missing. sys
tenn Of books and checks is kept in the DEPART
ment, and an examination OF the books at the lass
moment OF duty Of the night tour Of service ba0
shown that a package was missing from poucm
which had come through unopened fiom st. LOUIS.
This first started the investigation and broughs
down Inspector Dosscr from his Office Oh the fouIth
floor. 1t was believed that the package had gond
astIay in the IO,t Office All the other pouches
were examined ard IN pouch from Portland the
missing package from the st. Louis pouch wat
found As the books showed that the required
number OF packages in the Portland pouch was
one short without the s., 0uis package, it waA
clear that the latter had b' 'en used as substitute
for o pa kaye lost or abstractcd from the f"tiapd
pouch Two hours and n half Of untennttin&
investigation brought to light the missing Portland
package containing tie $4,000 concealed undcs
some rubbish in an unused aud out OF The way
closet.
There was no escape from the fact that it had
heon deliberately stolen and hidden where IL waa
found. Tie task of disco, erng and relieving the
Ollie of the services 0f tie thlef remained ana u
proved to be a vast deal moro difficult than ths
finding tie stolen package Ihe twenty-five men
guarded by tie officers weie marched up 10 ho"n
Nos. 135 and 1876 on the fourth floor. where the
Offices of the Secret Ser, ice are. and locked IN.
while the process of drilling Tor information began.
It was a tedious task, and wednesday morning.
found the sec,et Sery ice still at work on tne
the office the facts were ai,. before him and he
tried 10 uet at the bottom OF the robbery. ADous
midday on Wednesday half Of the unwilling pris-
sners werc permitted to depart, Mr. Peaison anu
lnspector nosser being satisfied that they werd
,npocent Tho work of sitting out the hnocehs
mon f,om the remainder Was kept up all oil "ed-
nesday and yesterday.
FINALLY ut $50 y, IN, yesterday an the ineh nay
been discharged but William A. LARK OIL No' Hf~
pelSulb-ave, Brooklyn, clerk in charge OIL tns
ro,,ch room of the registry division Iii tour Irom
10 n. m. until / 10 p. m. During the last Three
wears some sixty-one pieces OF reghtered ma.'er
lave been stolen and in spite Of all the Inspectors
could do they could not discover the thief aIh0us"
Wbnn Inspcctor Uosscr became confident THAI
they had the culprt In Clark they examined I'll nun
closely rs 10 his antecedonts ana WORK !ney
accused him of taking the missing packages. out ne
DENIED the charge and called the inspector lar
with an OATH. Even when told thar tne packago
was found and that the inspector haa s.ro"S & ev.
Gence that he had stolen It, he still stoutly inan
famed his innocence Clark was then lett alone
for a considerable time. when ne caiiea tne
Inspector iSp hs to admeied hl% daf iafius the
store sacretina it in the closet and substituting
the St Louis package for 1t in the pouch noRlhg
IN th,s way he SAID, to cover mp Jus loss uhth no
shoni5 have time to take 1t from the office. -.
When list of the sixty-one packages when
have been stolen during the ths 1ss 6s to5 o5Ss them all but
ane charleston package containing $o0oV.
yus Is rsculat,ons before this had amounted to
between ' 81, 900 and $4,000 He said that % ne was
induced to take the packages by want ot nGneyi t
lie had of late become heavy drlnker. nai ,oss
cnn derabIe money at gambling and had large
number Of creditors who were pressing .Rna Rim J s
money lie was aways too s"oi opiy those which came
Clark has been employed as clerk IN the reg. reg
istrv diylsion for about five years. lie Is ao99s
fo,tyy Years old. married and of medium SIZE. ne
has brown hair smooth face and the general ap
pearance of buresque actor lie was so Snnt
p~sncIal by his fellow clerks, from whom DC keps
himself aoof. - 10 n tel.gram
III Uial 10 nrenared TO 20 on his bonds. But as no
oiicsr %Gc could be found to take bail for hiu he was
locked up in Ludlow Street Jail. ne WIN ne Ar
raigned before Commissioner ohle.ds 'niS "'o'""s'
HOT CAMPAIGN IN MICHIGAN.